Professor and author Robin DiAngelo, best known for her bestselling 2018 book White Fragility, earned $12,000 in compensation for speaking during a virtual diversity event hosted by Ohio State University earlier this year, according to a new report.
DiAngelo, who is white, served as the keynote address on March 24 for the university’s 22nd annual President and Provost’s Diversity Lecture & Cultural Arts Series, speaking via Zoom about white fragility and why racism is difficult for white people to discern, the Federalist reported Thursday.
The outlet obtained a contract revealing details about the speaking arrangement. University spokesman Benjamin Johnson said DiAngelo was the sole speaker. The event was open to the public and lasted just over an hour.
DiAngelo, who signed the contract under her “critical racial and social justice education” firm Robin DiAngelo, LLC, declined a live Q-and-A session after the speech, according to the documents.
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“On a topic as charged as racism, opening the floor to the audience allows for very problematic dynamics (e.g. long-winded speeches, convoluted questions, debates),” the contract said.
Part of the framework of DiAngelo’s speech was focused around an idea called “seeing the racial water,” which, according to her website, involves her describing “the way race shapes the lives of white people” and explaining “what makes racism so hard for white people to see.”
“Although the focus is on white racial identity development, people of color may also find the analysis valuable as it is one that is rarely affirmed or provided in mainstream society,” the description adds.
The Washington Examiner reached out to DiAngelo for comment on the report.
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DiAngelo also spoke about the concept of white fragility, which describes white people as living in a “racially insular social environment” that “builds our expectations for racial comfort” and provides situations in which “even a minimal challenge to the white position becomes intolerable, triggering a range of defensive responses.”
DiAngelo’s popularity and public discussion about concepts, such as white privilege and critical race theory, exploded last year amid a tense debate over race in America. Her book shot to No. 1 on the New York Times bestsellers list last June following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
The University of Washington professor now charges an average of $14,000 per speech, over twice what she charged for speaking engagements in 2018, according to the Daily Mail.
